LeeAnn Heringer, "when I was old enough..." (1995)
when I was old enough
to put myself to bed		 


        I would pick my way
        through shards of broken dishes      
        that lined the floor and lie down
        between my parents,
        hoping the alcohol
        singing in their blood
        would seep beneath my skin
        and I would sleep
        rocked by the temporary truce
        of their steady snores
LeeAnn Heringer ©,
1995